Hybrid rocket fuel research being done by a University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) mechanical engineering doctoral student could hasten the day when a simpler, safer, more economical rocket engine propels space missions.

At UAH’s Johnson Propulsion Center, Matthew Hitt has experimented with varying solid fuel grain sizes to see how they burn at different combustion chamber pressures and oxidizer flow rates in an effort to improve the performance of hybrid engines.

“This is another step in making hybrids – which are a safer alternative to either solid or liquid engines – more practical for actual application,” he says

Improving the efficiency has to do with improving the fuel regression rate – a scientific way of saying you get the solid fuel to burn faster so it recedes back from the flame front at a faster rate.

“By increasing the fuel regression rate – which can lead to simpler designs – you are leaving less unburned fuel, so you are not carrying all this dead weight,” Hitt says.

Not having to carry fuel that won’t end up getting burned could reduce the weight of the rocket, allow for use of a smaller engine for the same flight result, or allow for a larger payload due to the weight savings.

Energy hybrid

December 9, 2016 - To support the development of microgrids in south-east Asia, Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is leading the renewable energy integration demonstrator — Singapore (Reids) project. When fully constructed Reids will be the largest ...

December 7, 2016 - “The operation of this technology, a world's first, is a major milestone for the geothermal industry and a reinforcement of our commitment to innovation and energy efficiency,” said Francesco Venturini, Head of Enel's Global Renewable Energies. “We are ...

December 6, 2016 - It increased the plant's output by 1008MWh between July and September, offsetting energy consumption by 8.8%. Enel operates another hybrid plant in the US that combines geothermal and solar power. "The operation of this technology, a world's first, is ...

December 3, 2016 - Why not exploit the benefits of batteries and super capacitors simultaneously and combine them in some kind of energy hybrid, they asked themselves. In the current issue of scientific journal Nature Materials the group introduces its approach ...

December 2, 2016 - "In a developed market, you are competing with cheaper forms of conventional power generation, such as gas and also hydro. Energy storage costs still have some way to come down for a hybrid plant like Kennedy Energy Park to be competitive," he said.

December 1, 2016 - SEATTLE - When firefighter paramedics Morlon Malveaux and Mark Pedeferri learned that their powerhorse diesel ambulance was going to be traded for a gas-powered hybrid they were more than a little concerned. The two, who run a Medic One rig ...